


Girlie's a Princess

by Imagines_Dreams



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Ball, Cinderella AU, F/M, Fairytale ending, PEASANT, Princess - Freeform, fairytale, that lasts 3 days
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 00:26:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17032776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Imagines_Dreams/pseuds/Imagines_Dreams
Summary: Your father and mother were worried about you. You were past marrying age, and they desperately wanted to see you fall in love. Their solution, since they were the king and queen, was to throw a three-day ball at the castle.





	Girlie's a Princess

ou carefully lifted your skirts and walked down the steps. “Chin up, sweetheart,” your father said as someone presented you as the princess. You smiled at him and followed his instructions. “Father, this isn’t necessary,” you whispered through your smile.

“We’ve talked about this, (Y/n). You need a husband.”

You giggled. “Mother ruled the kingdom fine before you came into the picture.”

“True, but I want a son-in-law.” He tilted his head back and forth. “Or daughter-in-law, child-in-law. Really, we don’t mind. We just want to see you married and happy, dear.”

You rolled your eyes. You were well over the average marrying age, but what disturbed your parents the most was lack of significant others in your life.

You sighed and smiled as you took your place and bowed to the crowd of people. You gulped at the sight of the line forming at the side of the ballroom. You were going to dance with everyone, apparently. Good thing the ball was for three nights and not one. You wouldn’t be able to have a sixteen count dance with every man there in one night.

~ - ~

Your feet were absolutely sore. You had to give it to the men dancing for your hand. Some had interesting ways of introducing themselves. Some recited poems. Some sang. One man even asked to pull you towards the band and he played a sixteen count melody on the violin.

You excused yourself from the ball and your parents’ presence before heading to the courtyard. Your castle had a wonderful view of the kingdom at night. Moving lanterns and candlelight along with music floating through the air.

However, you never made it to your special spot. Ou stopped when there was a man examining one painting of many on display in the hall.

You cleared your throat. “Kind sir?”

He turned around, shocked, and before he could move, you pointed to the ballroom. “The ball, it’s that way.”

He blinked a few times and cleared his throat. “I ain’t here for the ball.”

You laughed a little. He didn’t bow. He wasn’t scared. You tilted your head. “You’re not here to woo over the princess.”

“Nah, was never the wooing-someone-I-don’t-know type.”

You smiled and stood next to him. “So, you’re the staring-at-paintings-at-a-dance type guy, then.”

“You got me pegged.” He turned to you. “You know somethin’ bout paintings?”

You shrugged. “Some artists have allowed me the honor of watching them paint, and it’s very fascinating. Just the work and the amount of visualization. I could never do something like that.” You stared at the painting. The swirl of colors, the layers you could see up close, it was wonderful. “It’s admirable,” you softly stated.

The man gazed at you and how entranced you were. You were beautiful. He smiled sadly. If only he didn’t have a time limit. If he didn’t, he would’ve pulled out all the charms he could possibly muster. He averted his gaze and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’d say.” The man blinked a few times before clearing his throat. “I must go.” He stepped away.

You turned towards him. “It’s so early,” you said. You bit your lip. Did you say something?

He laughed. “I have, uh, work tomorrow.”

“Well, hopefully, it ends early. I, unfortunately, will be here all five nights.”

He shot you a dazzling smile. “Tell ya what, I’ll try to come back ‘ere, if you tell me about the painters you’ve observed.”

You nodded. “I look forward to tomorrow night then.”

~ - ~

It was hard to avoid your suitors the next night, but it was worth. You had excused yourself from a clingy lord. However, he was right being you. So, you lifted your skirts and ran in heels. Suddenly, you bumped into someone.

“Nice to see ya, Girlie.”

You were out of breath but you managed a smirk. Your hear immediately jumped for joy at the sight of him smiling down at you. “Pleasure’s all mine, kind sir.”

The suitor sputtered at the sight of you in someone else’s arms. “Wh-What? I wasn’t… Pri-”

You quickly interrupted the lord. “Sorry, sir, but I have other duties to attend to.”

“But, Prin-”

“If you’ll excuse me, sir,” you snapped.

The lord finally shut his mouth. “Of course, your-”

“Thank you, sir.” That man didn’t know your status, and you liked it that way.

When the lord finally left, you sighed. Suddenly, all your senses caught up to your brain. You were still in his arms, and your hands were still on his chest. You cleared your throat and separated yourself from him. “Sorry about that.”

“Not a problem. You have quite the reputation around here.”

Your eyes widened. “You’ve heard of me.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You shut up some fancy smancy lord with a few words. I’m sure there’s some sort of reputation actin’ there.” He tilted his head. “Why? What would I hear?”

You laughed. “Oh, nothing you should worry about, kind sir.” You gestured to the hall. “Now, are we going to discuss the works of Pangaron?”

“I thought those paintings were from Langan?”

“Close.” You shrugged. “Pangaron used similar styles, but his colors are slightly different from Langan’s.”

~ - ~

“There’s a low turnout of suitors tonight,” your father observed. He closed the door and walked towards your seat.

You gulped. Apparently, clingy suitor hobbies included music, chasing princesses down hallways, and gossiping to everyone in the royal court. “Well, it’s the third night. There was bound to be a low turnout.”

“Alright, I suppose.” The king hummed a little and kneeled down next to your chair. “I could excuse you from the ball. Say you feel sick.”

“Father-”

“Go. Spend as much time as you can with this mystery boy.”

You smiled. “Thank you, Father.” You kissed his cheek and ran out.

~ - ~

He was there, in front of one of the paintings again. You smiled and stood next to him. “You know, good sir, I still don’t know your name.”

He laughed. “And I don’t know yours, Girlie.” He let out a long exhale before saying, “Look, uh, Girlie, I-” His gaze fell on you, and suddenly, his heart jumped into his throat. He had to break it off. He couldn’t see you again. But, he couldn’t. Not when you were next to him. Not when your eyes met his and when your soft voice worriedly asked, “Is something the matter?”

He blinked a few times. A few hours. A few hours, then he’ll tell you.

“Nothin. Nothin at all,” he said with a soft smile. “Now, tell me, how is it that you know so much about paintings, huh? Not everyone gets to watch a painter paint.”

You laughed. “You’re right. I, uh, had an expensive education. Although there are interesting things out there, art has always been a mystery to me. I like watching the master when I can.”

And so the two of you talked for hours on end. You both talked vaguely about childhood memories and personal interests until you two acted like best friends.

You pursed your lips. “You know, good sir, I think you are the best person I’ve ever met.”

“I know.”

You gasped and shoved him. “I’m serious!” You shrugged and averted your eyes so he wouldn’t see your blush.

The man sighed. “Girlie, I know.” He laughed a little. “Ey, come on, look at me, please?” He gently held your hand.

You blinked and gazed up at him. “Ok.” You smiled. “Lookin at ya.”

He scoffed. “Did you just mock my accent?”

“Maybe.” You said.

He laughed. “You know, I think same goes for you.”

“What?”

“You’re the best person I met. I wish I could see more of you.”

Your breathing was slowed as you tried to take in every detail. The late moon shone on him like a soft spotlight, and every single detail was beautiful, too perfect to be real. He was leaning in closer. So were you.

“We could see each other again,” you suggested. “Afterward.”

“One day,” he whispered.

Then, the clock struck midnight. His eyes widened. He sprung back and sputtered, “I gotta go!”

“Wait! Wait, come back!” You lifted your skirts and ran after him. “Where are you going?”

“The, uh, princess,” he lied. “I haven’t met ‘er!”

“Wait!” You were going down the outside stairs as fast as you could. “I never told you! I’m the-”

His carriage pulled away, and you were left on the steps of the palace. You closed your eyes and sunk to the steps. How were you going to see him again? You pulled at your hair and tried to think. You didn’t know his name. You knew he loved paintings and was worked to the bone wherever he was and-

What was that? You stood up and carefully stepped towards the sparkling object. You kneeled down and picked it up. A shoe. Made of glass. Pure glass. You laughed and observed it. The dips and curves of the delicate thing were intricate. It must have been his.

You laughed. You had one clue to go off.

~ - ~

“You didn’t get his name?”

“I didn’t give him mine either,” you reasoned. You groaned and covered your face as blood rushed to your cheeks. “I-Father, he didn’t know I was the princess. I didn’t want him to know.”

“I still can’t get over the fact that the only thing you can go off of it a shoe and a description that could fit more than half the kingdom.”

You rolled your eyes. “I know how he looks like, so whoever will fit the shoe can be verified by me.” You sighed. “Father, I-I don’t know what else to do.”

The king sighed. After a long silence, he asked, “(Y/n), do you really love this man?”

“Father-”

“I know it’s been three days since you first met, but will searching the entire kingdom for him be worth it?”

You gulped. That man, you cared for him immensely. He respected you and engaged in interesting conversations. That kind sir was generous, intelligent, and… He was incredibly brave. From what he told you about his living situation, he didn’t live the best life. He had many friends, but never saw them so they couldn’t help him. He wasn’t supposed to come the last two nights of the ball, but he did. And it sounded like he was scared if people knew he was there. He didn’t even tell you his name.

“It would be.” Maybe you could free him from whatever was troubling him. No one, especially him, deserved the fear he seemed to carry with him. “I want to find him.”

Your father nodded. “Then, it shall be done.”

You covered your mouth to hide your too wide smile and thanked your father several times as he called on a servant to draft the proclamation.

~ - ~

You traveled with the royal guard and sought out every man in the kingdom. It had been two days since you had started doing this. There were quite a few who fit the glass shoe, but none were the one. None were him.

“Welcome, to my humble estate, your royal highness,” the man greeted.

You smiled. “By order of my father’s proclamation, I am to try the glass shoe on every man in the kingdom. Do you have any sons, Sir Pulitzer?”

“Just a few servants, your royal highness.” He confidently puffed out his chest. “If I were younger, you would have to stay to test me.”

You raised your eyebrow. “Well, even though you are your age, I must try the shoe on every man in the kingdom. That will include your few servants. So, if I may, can you show me the servants’ quarters?”

He blinked. “Of course, your royal highness.”

He led you to the basement of the house, where several bunk beds were crammed into one room. The many boys were hustling around the room, whispering to each other and doing other duties. When you entered, they all looked at each other. Then, they crowded around you.

“Hi!”

“Where’s the shoe?”

“We’ve gotta stall.”

“You look very beautiful!”

“Welcome to the humble abode!”

You laughed and greeted each one of them, shaking a few hands, before the man of the house cleared his throat.

The boys still clammered around you. You told the man, “I don’t mind the-”

“”You are in the presence of the princess!” the man shouted. “Act civilized!”

The boys laughed and lined up. They stood straight and said nothing. However, even though they had horrible living conditions and a harsh man of the house, they were looking at you with bright smiles and whispered excitedly to each other.

You couldn’t see the man you spent your time with, but you wouldn’t mind prolonging this visit. These boys seemed to need more kindness than what they were given. Maybe you could talk to your father about enforcing servants’ rights and accommodations.

“Make way!” a young boy shouted. He pushed through the boys and approached you. “I think it’s obvious I’m the one you’re looking for!” He pointed at himself and smiled brightly.

You giggled and knelt down before the man could protest. “Well, I need you to try on the shoe first before anything can happen. What’s your name?”

“Les, your beautiful highness!” He bowed dramatically from the waist. His little hat fell from his head. You smiled, picked it up, and put it back on the boys head.

The captain of your guard tapped your shoulder. “I’m sorry, your royal highness, but we mustn’t tarry. We still have a third of the kingdom to search.”

You nodded. “Right.” You looked at all the boys. You promised yourself you’d make it better for them.

They were whispering again. Though, that time, they seemed worried. Would their lives be worse if you left?

And so, you introduced yourself to each and every boy. There were so many of them with interesting names. Each one was a gentleman and had unique voices and traits. You were sure afterward you could pick out each and every voice from a crowd. Each one bowed or curtsied dramatically and incorrectly. They tried to keep up the conversation and were quite good at it.

Then, you were done, and they were anxious.

“That’s the last man in the household,” the man said. He shot a smirk at the boys, and suddenly, their lively personalities were covered with fear and despair. You blinked a few times. Were you imagining this?

You looked to your captain. He, too, looked worried. Something was off.

You gulped. “Are there any other boys who frequent this household?”

“No, your royal highness.”

You counted the beds. “There are two extra beds.”

“For precaution. If a bed breaks, they can use another one until the other is fixed.

More than two beds were broken.

You looked around the room and tried to find something wrong. The boys were bowing their heads, avoiding your eyes. Then, something caught your eye. A sketch, carelessly hidden by wallpaper on the opposite wall.

You tilted your head and made your way towards it.

The boys parted like the sea for you while the man sputtered, “Y-Your-”

The captain held him back.

The closer you got to the drawing, the wider grew the smiles of the boys. You smiled and uncovered the drawing. It was of you. Exquisite detailing, and more beautiful than you could imagine. You patted the wall and peeled back the fresh wallpaper. More drawings on the wall were revealed to you. Some of you. Some of the gardens. Some of the slippers. They were so accurate, so beautiful.

“Who drew this?” you asked softly. You stared at the man of the estate. He was silent. “I have no clue, your royal highness. I swear, I’ve never seen those before.”

“Well, do you take care of all the matter regarding your estate?”

“Of course.”

“Then, why cover this part of the wall?” You stared at the ripped wallpaper in your hands. “It’s fresh, and you only remodeled this part.” The man was still silent. You huffed and turned to the boys. “Do any of you know who drew these?”

They all looked at each other.

So, you softly pleaded, “Please, what’s wrong? Do none of you know who-”

“We do, your royal highness,” a boy said, Davey, you remembered.

You nodded. “Then, why can’t you tell-”

“He told us we couldn’t.”

You glared at the man. “Did you threaten these boys?”

“Your-”

“Sir, did you threaten these children?”

The look on his face said enough. He opened his mouth just as you held up your hand. “Silence. However much their contracts are, I’ll pay for them.”

Your page sputtered, “Y-Your royal majesty! The king, he-”

“Won’t care when he realizes how badly these boys are being treated,” you snapped. “Sir, I want their contracts. All of them.”

“Y-Your-”

“I don’t care. I will pay for the contracts in full.”

~ - ~

So, you were in Pulitzer’s office and waited impatiently as he looked through all his files for the contracts. He finally got a stack of papers and put them on his desk for you to look at. You paged through them. “You’re missing some contracts,” you stated.

“I agreed to give you all of my servants’ contracts. Those are for the ones present.”

“I want them all.”

He sneered. A few minutes later, there were two added contracts. One was for a boy named Crutchie, while another was a for boy with two names. Jack Kelly.

~ - ~

You were at the doorway of the house. The boys were boarding the carriage, while some had to ride on horses provided by your guards.

“When will the other two be back?” you asked.

He shrugged. “Both disappeared a-”

“Liar!” Les shouted. He jumped off the carriage and tugged at your arm. “Princess highness, I know where Jack and Crutchie are, and we can go get them right now!”

You tilted your head. “So, where are they?”

“Here!” A girl pushed the man to the side and curtsied haphazardly. “Your royal highness, I am so so sorry for our tardiness but-”

“Katherine-”

“Not now, Father!”

You blinked. “Wait.” You held up your hand and the father and daughter kept quiet. “Sir, you told me you only had servants in this estate. You never mentioned any daughters.”

“She’s not my daughter, your royal highness.”

Katherine glared at her father. She cleared her throat and dusted off her skirt. “He disowned me a few years ago.” She took a deep breath and looked around. “Your royal highness, if I may, I know the man you’re looking for. If you just wait a few minutes-”

“Princess,” your page interjected, “we must head off to the rest of the kingdom. This visit has already gone far longer than needed.”

You nodded. “I’m aware, but, Katherine here was just telling me about the friend I met at the ball.”

“S-She is obviously lying!”

“Katherine,” you drawled. “That name actually sounds familiar.” You smiled. “Plumber?”

She beamed. “You’ve read my papers!”

You laughed. “Of course, I do! Everyone in the kingdom does.” Your page opened his mouth again, and you turned to him. “Surely, the famous writer, Katherine here, wouldn’t lie to the princess. That’s a-” You paused.

The man was glaring at someone behind him. A figure, you couldn’t quite make out, but from the way your breath caught in your throat, you could take a guess as to who it was.

“Pulitzer,” the boy greeted.

The man didn’t respond. However, the boy kept moving forward until you could see him fully. Once you saw the familiar brown hair and sparkling eyes, you sighed with relief.

He smiled at you. Then, he bowed his head fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “Sorry ‘bout the clothes and all. I don’t have the, uh, nice ones anymore.”

You blinked a few times. Then, you saw what he was talking about. You stifled a little giggle. You didn’t even notice how unkempt he looked. Blue shirt with patches and a vest that was probably once a lighter color. Even his pants were ripped at some places, but you didn’t care. It was him.

You stepped closer and curtsied. “You have heard of the king’s proclamation?”

“Of the glass shoe. Of how all men in this very here kingdom gots to try it on? Maybe win the hand of a beautiful princess?” He smiled. “Nah, not a word.”

“Oh well, in short, if you fit the shoe I found on the steps of the palace and I approve that you are the man I spent my time with, we are to be betrothed.” The captain of the guard gave you the glass shoe. You thanks him and held it out to Jack. “So, tell me, where’s Crutchie?”

Jack laughed. He pointed to the man at his side. “Crutchie, meet Girlie. Girlie, this is my brother.”

You smiled and curtsied. “Pleasure.”

“Pleasure’s all mine! Uh, your royal highness.”

After you tried the slipper on Crutchie, you dramatically sighed. “Well, guess that’s it then. I’ll never find him.”

Jack raised his eyebrow.

You laughed. “May I?”

He sighed. “If you still want to try.”

“Of course I do.” You smiled and stroked his cheek. “I searched the kingdom for the man at the ball. I’m not going back without him.” You kneeled down and slipped the glass shoe on his foot. You beamed and looked up at him. “It’s nice to meet you, kind sir.”

He held your hands and gazed down at you. “You, too, Girlie.” He laughed.

You glanced at his lips, and before you could stop yourself, you leaned forward and pressed your lips against his.

Jack gasped against your lips, but once he processed what was going on, he gently placed his hands on your waist and closed his eyes. As reality settled in, he gripped you tighter and tighter, afraid it was all a dream.

You laughed at his enthusiasm and moved your lips against his as you ran your fingers through his hair.

The boys cheered for the two of you, while Katherine and your guards awed at the sight. Pulitzer retreated into his estate, and he would never see the boys again.

~ - ~

“Daughter, please, tell me you can tell who the mystery man is. You did not have enough time to come to cherish twenty plue men and one lady.”

You laughed. “Father, I found these servants being mistreated by Pulitzer, so I bought all their contracts. Katherine is visiting, and this” -you held Jack’s hand and smiled at him- “is Jack Kelly, the man I met at the ball.”

Jack bowed. “Your majesty.”

Your father nodded. “Well, Jack, you know being betrothed to my (Y/n) is a lot of work. You will need to learn how to act, write, read, like a man of the court. Approximately three years of education. Are you willing to-”

“Yes.”

Your father stared at Jack.

“Sorry, sir, uh, finish your statement, please.”

Your father stared at him. Then, he laughed. He opened up his arms. “Welcome to the family, Jack Kelly!” He turned to the boys, the new servants, “Now, I’m not sure what to do with new servants, but surely, we can find something you boys excel in. The servants’ wing is over there, and I hope you find it to your liking.”

The boys cheered and ran to the servants’ wing to explore.

“And you, Katherine Plumber, right?”

She nodded. “Yes, your majesty.”

“I understand that you helped Crutchie and Jack get to my daughter in time. How would you feel about writing the charters.”

“The charters?” She gasped. “For the royal family?”

“What else, my dear?”

Katherine squealed. “You have no idea what that means to me, your majesty! Thank you!”

You held onto Jack’s arm and leaned your head against his shoulder. “Thank you,” you whispered.

“Why’re you thankin’ me?” he asked. “You did all of this.”

You shrugged. “Without you, none of this would’ve happened.”

“And if it were up to any other royal, the boys would still be at that Pulitzer Estate.” He smiled at you, and god that was one beautiful smile. “I am forever in your debt, Girlie.”

“Ok, I know how you can pay me back then.”

Jack leaned in closer, his voice teasing and light. “What’s that?”

You shook your head. “Remember that you deserve everything, including love.”

He froze. “Your royal-”

“Like that. You don’t have to call me that. My name is (Y/n), Jack. You think I didn’t notice your hesitation when I wanted you to try on your shoe?” You stroked his cheek. “Jack, you’re amazing, ok? Don’t forget that.”

Jack blinked a few times, his eyes sparkling with emotions you couldn’t quite pinpoint. Then, he kissed you deeply and passionately, pulling you towards him and trying to eliminate any space between the two of you.

It wasn’t until you pulled away only slightly that you were reminded you weren’t alone.

“Finally!”

“Father!”

**Author's Note:**

> I love fairytales, so Cinderella AUs are my ultimate weakness. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please comment and tell me what you like and don't like about this. Thank you so much!


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